The present invention relates to the use of a compound as a medicament for the treatment of a patient suffering from an impaired liver function, to the use of a compound as a medicament for the treatment of liver failure, including acute/fulminant or chronic liver failure and/or for increasing the regeneration of liver tissue in a patient. Also, the invention relates to the use of the compound to increase the robustness and regeneration of cultured hepatocytes in vitro to improve cell based therapies, e.g. to a process for cultivating hepatocytes in the presence of the compound, including the use of the cultivated hepatocytes as a transplant, and for hepatocyte transplantation, respectively, into a patient suffering from liver failure. Further, the invention relates to the use of the compound for the production of the medicament, and to the use of hepatocytes cultured in vitro in the presence of the compound for the production of a hepatocyte transplant.
Further, the invention relates to a bio-artificial liver comprising cultivated hepatocytes which contain or are contacted by the compound which can be used as a medicament. Further, the invention relates to a process for producing hepatocytes which comprise the compound used as a medicament, and to the use of cultivated hepatocytes being contacted by the medicament for use as a medicament in the treatment of a functionally impaired liver, for the treatment of liver failure, and/or for supporting liver regeneration. Liver failure which can be treated according to the invention includes acute and/or fulminant hepatitis due to infection with hepatotropic viruses, alcohol abuse, obesity, genetic diseases like Wilson's disease, hemochromatosis, alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency and related conditions. Liver failure which can be treated according to invention also includes all forms of chronic liver failure with liver cirrhosis induced by e.g. the causes as indicated above.